Chapter 47
Only after a long while did Valeri finally loosen the arm around my neck and lean back slightly.
The tight knot inside him seemed to ease a little, and his expression looked better than before. Valeri let out a low sigh.
“Promise me you won’t do it.”
“……”
“Just promise that you won’t do anything. That you won’t put yourself in danger.”
I don’t even know why, but even though I was supposed to be the villain, he was the one speaking more desperately.
“…I promise.”
What was the point of an answer anyway?
Still, I wanted to give him at least a superficial reply like that.
I had a feeling he already knew what my real answer was.
I don’t even remember how I left that place.
After our conversation ended and I stepped out of his arms, I realized his uniform jacket was draped over my shoulders.
He let me go without resisting, but the entire carriage ride home, it felt like I was still being held by him. I kept turning back in the carriage—something very unlike me.
My mind felt hazy, as if I was only half-conscious.
If I told him the truth—that I was stopping my mother, that I would continue to do so, and that I was the reason things were moving—would he believe me?
No.
Even though he let me go safely today, I was sure he would keep doubting me.
Until I completely left this place, I had no choice but to lie low.
As soon as that thought ended, exhaustion rushed in.
“Ian, wake me when we arrive.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Feeling as if someone was pressing down on my body, I eventually closed my eyes.
I didn’t wake up the next day until noon.
Even though I hadn’t drunk any alcohol, my entire body felt heavy, and a dull headache throbbed in my head.
When I pulled the bell rope, Nina came in shortly after.
“Miss, you’re awake?”
“Where is Mr. Schwalt?”
“He’s waiting downstairs.”
“Since when?”
I asked while lying down, one hand pressed to my forehead.
“He’s been there for about three hours. Shall I prepare water for washing?”
“No. I’ll wash in the bathroom. Just bring me a wet towel.”
“Yes! I’ll get it right away!”
I sat up and shook my head lightly to clear my mind.
He probably wanted to hear about the masquerade ball. He could have asked Ian, but it seemed he deliberately chose to wait. Had he already heard that I met the Crown Prince?
After wiping my face with the towel Nina brought, I washed properly in the bathroom and then went downstairs, drying my wet hair.
Mr. Schwalt was sitting there calmly, reading the newspaper.
It was a rare sight—something I only saw once or twice a year.
“You should have woken me,” I said, stopping one step from the bottom of the stairs.
As if he already knew I was coming down, Mr. Schwalt lowered the newspaper slightly and smiled.
“You need time to recover.”
During the two years I was abroad, Mr. Schwalt had successfully eliminated two of the Emperor’s closest aides.
Lady Ferja was safe for now, but there was no guarantee she wouldn’t act again.
After cutting off the Emperor’s limbs, the next targets would be the Emperor himself—and the Empress.
But something felt strange.
Two close aides had disappeared, so why wasn’t the Emperor making a move? Why wasn’t the Empress furious?
Considering how many failures it took before Mr. Schwalt succeeded, the other side must have prepared something. So why was everything still being treated publicly as accidental deaths?
The relationship between the Emperor, the Empress, and my mother still felt not just strange—but eerie.
“About yesterday,” I said.
“Hm?”
“I heard something odd.”
I told him everything that had happened.
Mr. Schwalt listened carefully, fully focused.
“So I think we need to be more cautious about the deal with Bavera and Radique. Is the Marquis of Radique really still on bad terms with the Imperial family? We should confirm whether their relationship has improved. What if he’s playing both sides?”
“Hm…”
Mr. Schwalt tapped the sofa lightly with his fingers.
“Five times.”
“…What?”
“The number of times the Emperor tried to assassinate your mother.”
“Assassination…?”
So the Emperor had been acting?
“Bavera is just a check. Handing over the Coral Coast was something he and I already discussed.”
Hearing that, all the tension drained from my body.
“So you sent me on purpose. To see if he had a hidden agenda, and to check whether his words matched his actions.”
“I’m sorry. I thought it’d be better if you didn’t know.”
“Ugh… I worried for nothing.”
Mr. Schwalt even clasped his hands together as he apologized.
I’d been used more than once already, yet it still made my head ache every time.
“…Is my mother really okay? Five attempts…”
I trailed off and swallowed the rest of my words.
“I’m protecting her. She’ll be fine.”
“…What if—”
“Yes?”
“What if the Emperor doesn’t use assassination, but causes trouble openly?”
If he’d already tried five times, this wasn’t just about punishment or exile to the North. Like my mother, he seemed desperate to kill.
“That won’t happen.”
Suddenly, something Mr. Schwalt once said came back to me.
“Carbella.”
“Yes?”
“Everyone has something they can’t let go of.”
“……”
“That’s why. Because they can’t let go.”
Something they can’t let go of.
My mother’s revenge.
What the Emperor and Empress were hiding.
“Mr. Schwalt.”
“Yes.”
“Before, my mother said this, didn’t she? That the Second Prince was born by stealing something from someone else.”
“She did.”
“What does that mean? She won’t explain it to me.”
Mr. Schwalt closed his mouth—and didn’t open it again.
I waited patiently. For some reason, I felt like I had to hear the answer.
“Bella.”
“Yes.”
“Carbella.”
“Yes, Mr. Schwalt.”
“Sometimes, it’s better not to know.”
“But—”
I half rose from the sofa, then sat back down.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Later…?”
“Yes. Later, I’ll tell you everything. Now isn’t the right time.”
In the end, I had no choice but to nod.
If I pushed further, he’d probably tell me not to forget why he brought me here in the first place.
I decided to wait a little longer.
And if he didn’t tell me—then I’d find out myself.
“Nina. Don’t let anyone into my room. It’ll only take about an hour.”
“Yes, miss. Don’t worry. I’ll guard it like a fortress!”
“If anything happens, tell Ian immediately.”
“Yes, miss. Don’t worry about that either.”
“This map is correct, right?”
“Yes. Turn right here and you’ll see a pitch-black brick wall. Count ten bricks from the bottom, then press the third one from the right. Someone will come out from inside. I already told them you’d be coming in a few days, so you won’t have to wait long.”
“Good.”
I pulled my hood over my head. I was going to meet Shale Iskar in person.
Hold the magic stone tightly and picture the destination clearly.
It felt wasteful to use it, but since I had already handed over all the smaller fry to Mr. Schwalt, I had no choice.
I had never actually used it before—only kept it—so I wasn’t completely sure.
“Have a safe trip, miss!”
As I was about to close my eyes with the magic stone in hand, Nina clenched her fists and whispered.
I nodded slightly and gripped the stone with all my strength. The moment I closed my eyes, the stone grew warm—almost hot—in my hand.
Ghh—
A wave of nausea hit me. When I opened my eyes, a pitch-black wall was right in front of me.
“…Am I here?”
I leaned back slightly and turned my head. This matched what Nina described. Turning right immediately revealed an even darker wall.
“That was nothing. I really arrived instantly.”
The edge of the magic stone had faded slightly to gray. It must have consumed some of its power.
“At this rate, I could probably use it ten—no, twenty times for short distances.”
After putting the stone safely into my inner pocket, I followed Nina’s instructions. With a rumbling sound, a door opened from inside.
“Please come in.”
Two men who had been informed in advance bowed lightly and led me inside.
“It’s similar to Beyran.”
They paused for a moment, then continued walking. At the door they stopped again, bowed once more, knocked, and opened it.
“So you finally arrived.”
A face appeared along with another man’s voice.
“Hi.”
When I first saw him, the place was dark and he looked a bit eccentric. But under the light, he actually looked fairly neat.
If not for his long red hair, I might not have recognized him.
He chuckled at my greeting.
“Wow, this is hilarious.”
With his hands casually shoved into his pockets, Shale walked straight toward me.
I lifted my head and pulled back the hood I had been wearing deeply.
He paused for a moment, then raised his eyebrows sharply.
“What are you staring at so hard?”
